Invictus Games opens with Prince Harry tribute to Ukrainians

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Invictus Games competition for wounded, injured and ill service personnel and veterans has opened with a standing ovation and a tribute from Prince Harry for the Ukrainian team members who left their war-torn nation to compete. With Harry and his wife Meghan in the front row for the event’s opening ceremony Saturday, competitors cheered for nearly a minute as the Ukrainian team waved their nation’s blue-and-yellow flag after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte welcomed them. The games were delayed by two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Harry founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured or sick military service members and veterans by giving them the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.